HMM: Hacker Forces Colin Powell To Deny Affair. “Powell’s swift denial of an affair–especially one possibly conducted with an official of a foreign government while he served as America’s chief diplomat–was clearly prompted by the sensitive nature of the e-mails sent to his personal AOL account. And likely by a desire on Powell’s part to address any appearance of impropriety, especially in light of last year’s crash-and-burn by retired General David Petraeus.”